Was Steve Jobs planning for Apple to develop an iCar?

Apple manufactures a variety of devices that are hot on the consumer market. One other product was reportedly in Steve Jobs' vision, an iCar.

A story has emerged that Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and former chief executive, had a vision of creating an Apple Car, but it never got to the design phase. According to media reports, it was Jobs' dream to design an iCar to "take on Detroit".

According to the International Business Times, it "appears likely" Jobs was envisioning to add an Apple Car to the company's resume of consumer products.

In a recent piece by Nick Bilton, New York Times, in an article about an iWatch, the concept of an Apple Car was mentioned towards the end of the article.

According to the NYT piece, Steve Jobs told the New York Times' John Markoff that "if he had more energy" would have liked to "take on Detroit" with the development of an Apple branded car.

Venture Beat noted that this isn't the first mention of an Apple Car, noting that board member Mickey Drexler has brought the topic up in the past.

“Steve’s dream before he died was to design an iCar, and it would have been probably 50 percent of the market. He never did design it,” said Drexler last year, according to an earlier Venture Beat report.

Whether or not Jobs' vision of an iCar will ever make it past the idea stage remains to be seen, although as media reports note, two of Apple's employees hold a high interest in cars; one serving on the board of Ferrari and the other a known fan of automobiles.

The company is diversifying, with products such as the iWatch, but nothing remotely close to future plans of a car has been shared by Apple.

Google, however, is moving full speed ahead with its vision of an autonomous car. It is not inconceivable that Apple might look to compete in this market at some time in the future.

Do you see it possible Apple would fulfill Jobs' vision of a car? Would you be interested in an iCar?